Tag



Dec. 15, 1953 STQFFEL 2,662,321

TAG

Filed Dec. 10, 1949 INVENTOR. Haws F. SToFFEL.

?atented ea. '15, 1953 UNITED STATES LATENT OFFICE;

3 aims. (01.40 21) The invention relates to tags and more particularly to a tamperproof tag made of a single piece of thin sheet metal adapted to be attached to the stem of a fiower'or to various other articles.

It is an object of the invention to provide an inexpensive tag that can be bent around the stem of a flower or other thin object and then locked in place by hand without the use of tools and without great force.

Another object of the invention is to construct the tag of a single piece of sheet metal having cupped or dished members or ends arranged to fold upon each other, with means to lock same together when one of the ends is flattened out during assembly operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide means facilitating the removal of the tag, and to provide means to cause breakage of the tag when it is being removed, so that it cannot be salvaged for an unauthorized purpose.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following description considered in connection with the accompanying drawing submitted for the purpose of illustration and not to define the scope of the invention, reference being had for that purpose to the subjoined claims. In the drawing, where similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views:

Fig. l is a cross-sectional view of the novel tag shown in the open position before it is attached to an article;

Fig. 2 a view looking at the face of the closed tag shown attached to the stem of a flower; and

Fig. 3 a section taken on line 3--3 of Fig. 2.

Before explaining the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of elements illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practised or carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology herein is for the purpose of description and not limitation.

The tamperproof tag is stamped of a single piece of sheet metal and comprises a circular cup member ID and a dished disc or flap I I connected by a band I2, said cup member I0 and flap I I being arranged to fold upon each other, flap II fitting with its peripheral edge or rim inside cup member I0. The cup member has a bottom wall l3, suitable for carrying identifying indicia or advertising matter (not shown), and a curled rim I4 whose peripheral edge I5 is bent w rdly a shert di ta ce. to. leave a s ric e n rou h hiQh. an H a pa wh moved into the dishedcup IIJ. Edge I5 terminates at I6 where band I2 extends from rim I4 to flap I'I, forming a loop into which some article to be tagged, such as flower stern I1, may be inserted. Band It is provided with reinforcing ribs I3 terminating at I9 whfiir by bending of band I? in the closing operation of member Iii and flap II is primarily limited. to this point, and it therefore may be assumed that the axis about which the cup andflapare folded upon each other passes through this point' 'By' thusfixing the pivotal axis the two members (cup and flap) folded together match exactly so that flap II enters freely into cup II). Flap I I is dished or curved to be outwardly convex, and it is provided with a plurality .of radial slots 29 extending short from the center of flap I I from the central portion thereof to its outer edge or rim. These slots serve to provide sector pieces therebetween and facilitate flattening out of said sector pieces about respective bendable axes extending between adjacent inner ends of said slots or slits 20. Thus, the diameter of peripheral edge I5 is increased and is moved outwardly. These slots or slits 20 should preferably be in the form of sheared cuts or lines so as not to permit the insertion of a tool intended for tampering. In order to make it easy to discard the seal after it has served its purpose, perforations are provided or a scored line in the band at 2| and 22 where the ribs I8 terminate. Thus the band may be broken off from the tag by bending it back and forth. By making the weakened or scored lines 2|, 22 deep enough, it is obvious that the bending required may bereduced to any degree.

In the attaching operation of the tag, the article or, as shown in Fig. 2, the stem of a flower is inserted between band I2 and then flap I I and cup I0, held between two fingers, are pressed together, whereby flap I I enters through the opening of cup I0 until the practically straight peripheral edge or rim of flap II comes to rest within the space of the curled cup rim I 4 and adjacent bottom I3. By compressing the two parts further flap II is flattened out so that its outer periphery becomes enlarged to spread under edge I5 and to be permanently locked. It is apparent that to obtain the proper function, the metal must be sufliciently ductile, as too great a resiliency would cause flap II to spring back to its original shape.

It is well understood that any additional or auxiliary interlocking or interfitting formations may be arranged, respectively, adjacent the peripheral edge I l and adjacent the peripheral edge l5 of the curled rim 14, so that in substantially flattened condition of dish-shaped flap part II within cup part [0 of the seal a strong and undisplaceable connection between said parts is achieved, which, when tampered with, will be readily deformed and destroyed.

It can thus be seen that there has been provided according to this invention a tamperproof tag stamped of a single piece of sheet metal, comprising a cup with an inwardly curled rim, a band extending from the rim of said cup and terminating in a dished flap arranged to fold upon and proportioned to enter into said cup, and radial slots in said flap to facilitate flattening of said flap to interlock it with said cup.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A tag of ductile metal comprising a cup member having a peripheral hollow rim open toward the center of said cup member, a dishshaped, concave flap connected with said cup member and foldable against the latter, said flap terminating in a peripheral edge provided with radial slits extending from the latter and terminating in inner ends positioned in an area of said flap remote from the center thereof, whereby sector pieces are provided which are bendable about respective axes extending between adjacent inner ends of said slits, said peripheral edge being of a size sufficient to enter said open cup member and when said fiap is folded against the latter is caused to straighten out said sector pieces about said respective axes, whereby the diameter of said peripheral edge is increased while said sector pieces are straightened out to less than the largest inner diameter of said hollow rim without being curled in the latter.

2. A tag according to claim 1, including a band extending from said rim and terminating in said dishshaped flap for connecting the latter with said cap member, and reinforcing ribs in said band and terminating near the axes about which said cap folds upon said cap member.

3. A tag according to claim 2, including weakened lines across said band where the latter joins said rim and where said flap is connected to said band.

HANS F. STOFF'EL.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,749,399 Thayer Mar. 4, 1930 1,945,965 Behrman Feb. 6, 19 4 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 5,228 Great Britain Mar. 4, 1909 573,896 Germany Apr. 6, 1933 

